A slow cooker; another product that everyone suddenly had to have. Another appliance in the kitchen, am I really going to use this one? We hear you thinking. If you have doubts whether a slow cooker is worth it, you’ve come to the right place. In this article we discuss all the benefits of a slow cooker as well as shine a light on things to consider.
For those new to the slow-cooker world, we recommend reading our beginner’s guide on slow-cookers first. In this guide we explain exactly what a slowcooker is and what you can do with it.
Already have a slowcooker at home, but would like more inspiration? We regularly share our favorite slow-cooker recipes with our visitors.
#1 Very little effort & time-saving
Once you turn on the slowcooker, you can leave the house with peace of mind. So you don’t have to stand by it like you do with the traditional stew pot. This saves you a lot of time and gives you more flexibility to plan your day the way you want. Throw the slowcooker full of ingredients or a complete meal in the morning and when you get home, a delicious meal is waiting for you.
#2 Slowcookers provide the best taste experience
As soon as you get home, you can smell it immediately: something delicious is waiting for you. The big advantage of a slow-cooker is that the moisture cannot escape, so flavors remain intact. Also, cooking at low temperatures ensures good distribution of flavors.
#3 Tender meat
Did you know that a slow-cooker can even save you money on meat? With a slow-cooker, you can easily tenderize tough meat or cheap cuts of meat. For example, you can use it to make venison meat dishes or lean beef. Our favorite slow-cooker dish is rendang, which is slow-cooked beef with Indonesian spices.
Tip: Buy a slowcooker with a separate inner pan. Then you can sear the meat on the stove first before turning on the slow-cooker. This will save you a lot of dishes.
#4 a slowcooker is for everyone!
You don’t have to know a lot about cooking to use a slow-cooker. A little inspiration is always helpful, but all slow-cooker recipes are very easy and require little effort. Even you with little experience in the kitchen can make a good impression with meals from the slow cooker.
#5 never burn or scald food again
Do you regularly let the potatoes burn on? With a slow cooker this is a thing of the past. Because all the moisture stays in the inner pan, the food will never burn. Burning food happens when there is no moisture left in the pan. With a slow cooker you will never have this problem.
Convinced? Check our test results to find the best slowcooker for you.
#6 Cooking with a slowcooker is healthier
There are several reasons why cooking with a slowcooker is very healthy. Because of the low temperatures, nutrients are preserved. At high temperatures, many nutrients such as vitamin C can be lost, which of course is a shame.
Another advantage of a slow cooker is that moisture cannot escape. Where you normally throw excess water with all the nutrients down the drain, in a slow-cooker they remain safeguarded.
Finally, with a slow-cooker you most likely use less oil because you are cooking entire meals at once. And because you’re cooking with a lot of liquid, less oil is needed.
#7 less dishes!
Because of the low cooking temperatures, there is less chance of food sticking to the bottom, as with an electric oven. An inner pan with a non-stick coating rinses easily under the faucet. In some cases, the inner pan is also dishwasher safe. In general, you use much less utensils when cooking with a slow cooker. So time-saving!
#8 No need to reheat food
Most slow-cookers have a warming function. With some slowcookers you will have to set it yourself. The easiest way is when a slow cooker automatically jumps to the keep-warm function after cooking. That way when you get home you don’t have to reheat the food.
#9 slowcookers save you money (low power consumption)
First, a slowcooker is cheap to buy: you can get a simple slowcooker for as little as a few dollars. Second, the running costs are very low. Contrary to what many people think, a slow cooker uses very little energy. Even less than a light bulb. We explain exactly how power consumption works here.
#10 Ideal cooking for large groups
Finally, a slow cooker is ideal if you want to prepare a lot of food in one go. You can fill a slow cooker about three-quarters full. The capacity starts from 1.5 liters and goes up to as much as 6 liters for a large slow cooker.
The disadvantages: why not buy a slowcooker?
Earlier we wrote an article on why it is better not to buy a slowcooker. In this article we discuss the disadvantages and explain what you should consider.
Here are the disadvantages in brief:
- A slow cooker is limited to slow cooking. It does not include other cooking techniques such as baking.
- Another appliance you take into your home – and it can also take up (quite a lot of) space.
- Not all ingredients are suitable for a slow-cooker. Consider, for example, soft vegetables such as leafy greens and cauliflower.
Conclusion: to buy or not to buy a slow cooker?
A slow cooker is certainly a handy kitchen tool. Some couldn’t even live without it. But of course, to get the most out of it and enjoy its benefits, you have to use it. So the question is: will you actually use it? Lack of inspiration or proper planning can turn a slow cooker into a bad buy. Fortunately, we are happy to help you get started with inspiration for easy slow-cooker dishes.